r/SuggestALaptop

So basically, i will be starting my engineering this year. I will choose CSE for my education. I was discussing with a friend about buying a laptop right from the start and start coding, learning new stuff and much more. But, he said a laptop isnt necessary for 2-3 years out of 4 years. He told me to skip buying a laptop and just study and maybe take one in the upcoming years. So i would like to get to know if this is true or false, so please let me know your opinion.

And, if the answer is false to the above question, i was interested in buying a gaming laptop as they have good performance and will also help me in the future if i choose any heavy projects, 3D modelling and rendering (if any). The battery may be a concern but where i will be going, i will have plugs everywhere ig. But a library will be a problem. Also, please do tell anything about the laptop screen size if i have chosen it wrongly in the form below, ty. So, is a gaming laptop not advised for while you are studying engineering? Or is it ok? If yea, please do tell me your recommended budget for a beginner gaming laptop. I have also attached the form required below 👇

LAPTOP QUESTIONNAIRE

Country

India

Budget

100k to 120k INR or 1000-1200 USD

Are you open to refurbs/used options?

Maybe

Screen size

14”-16”

Weight limit

Any

**Purpose**

Coding+gaming

Form factor

Standard/Clamshell (a regular laptop)

Intended usage

Will use the laptop for a lot of coding purpose, idk about the exact softwares as i am not yet in the engineering school, sorry if thats a problem. I would like to play minecraft, phasmophobia, among us, and some other games with my friends

Desired battery life

1.5-3 hrs

Please list, in order of most important to least important, the priority between Size, Weight, Performance, Battery life

performance, size, battery life, weight

Info/Requirements

Nothing much, but I would like a vibrant screen. And a good screen resolution.

* **Country**

United States

* **Budget**

USD 1000-1500

* **Are you open to refurbs/used options? **

Yes

* **Screen size**

Any size

* **Weight limit**

Any weight

* **Purpose**

Video editing while away from my desktop

* **Form factor**

Standard

* **Intended usage**

Adobe Premiere Pro/After Effects/Photoshop/Da Vinci Resolve

* **Desired battery life**

8 hours if possible. Can plug in if needed.

* **Please list, in order of most important to least important, the priority between Size, Weight, Performance, Battery life**

Performance, Battery Life, everything else.

* **Info/Requirements**

Several USB ports.

💻 Need Recommendations for a Laptop in the $400–$700 Range
My main work:
Programming & Web Development
AI / “Vibe Coding”
Photoshop & Image Editing
I’m looking for:
✅ Good performance for coding and multitasking
✅ Smooth experience with VS Code, Docker, browsers, etc.
✅ Decent battery life
✅ Good display for design/editing
✅ Best value for the budget
Also:
🍎 MacBook or 🪟 Windows laptop — which is better for programming and creative work in 2026?
Would love your recommendations 👇

LAPTOP QUESTIONNAIRE
Country
United States
Budget
$1200 maximum
Are you open to refurbs/used options?
Maybe
Screen size
Any
Weight limit
Any
Purpose
Schoolwork/studying, entertainment device
Form factor
Standard/Clamshell (a regular laptop), but I also like being able to write on the screen
Intended usage
Studying for school and licensing exam, so the internet and google docs, will probably also use to watch movies or similar.
Desired battery life
Any
Please list, in order of most important to least important, the priority between Size, Weight, Performance, Battery life
Performance most important to me
Info/Requirements
I would like for it to have usb ports so I can plug the Bluetooth thing for my mouse into it. I would also like for it to do split screen easily. I currently use an iPad Pro 3rd generation and had to buy a Bluetooth keyboard thing, it wobbles a lot I don’t like that. The split screen thing also sucks on it. I also can’t use it for some school programs or proctoring exams. They don’t support the Apple products. The size and weight and everything else is fine.
I was provided a Lenovo for work. I don’t know much more about it but it got hot a lot when I would try to open more than one document. Burnt my legs and sounded like a plane about to take off. I don’t want that either.

[supprimé]

No one helps with the suggestion for buying a laptop

As my prior laptops beginning to slow down and the battery life has basically diminished, i was looking towards buying a good laptop to last my duration of Engineering degree comfortably since im only in my 1st year. I saw this and thought it seems good.
Please let me know any other recommendations and key features I should be looking for. I thank in advance for the suggestions you input.

LAPTOP QUESTIONNAIRE

Hi all, thanks so much for helping out with this.

Country

United States

Budget

$500-1500

Are you open to refurbs/used options?

Maybe but leaning no

Screen size

13-16

Weight limit

3 to 5lbs

Purpose

General/ schoolwork/ editing.

Form factor

Standard or 2 in 1

Intended usage

I'm a student, and an actor, musician and writer. I'd like to be able to run editing software for self tapes, pro-tools, ableton, and FinalDraft. It also wouldn't hurt to be able to watch videos in high quality but I mainly use my laptop for my homework and editing self tapes. My current laptop can handle these things but she's a little weary for this world so I think a new one would be great.

Desired battery life

12 hours

Please list, in order of most important to least important, the priority between Size, Weight, Performance, Battery life

Performance, weight, battery life, size doesn't really matter)

Info/Requirements

I would prefer a Windows computer because I'm an android user but I will also hear you out if MacBook is the way to go. I see a lot of MacBooks being advertised but I don't really want to join the ecosystem.

I'm not a big computer person so I'm not superrr picky, but I would prefer something durable. If that means that weight needs to be sacrificed, I totally get that. I have a Lenovo right now that's touchscreen is broken, and the edges are kind of cracking, so I'm a bit wary of Lenovo BUT i also acknowledge I'm clumsy so that could be user error. Otherwise, I'm down to hear your suggestions. Thanks again for your time.

I am about to start a new job and my current laptop is starting to get old. I am primarily looking for a laptop that would be used at my office job. My job requires that I use all of the basic essential Microsoft Office/Google software. I also need to be able to use this laptop to connect to monitors, projectors etc. via HDMI cord.

While this laptop will mainly be used for office work — multiple tabs of videos, programs, etc and multitasking, I would also like a laptop that can be used for gaming at home.

While many current gaming laptops have really intriguing specs and features, many of them are too chunky and uncomfortable. I would prioritize a lightweight (yet durable) laptop over performance.

My ideal price range is about 1200-1850, but I am willing to go slightly over if there is something that fits really well.

LAPTOP QUESTIONNAIRE

 

* Country

USA

 

* Budget

$2000 USD would be the absolute max I am willing to pay, but preferably about $1850 or under.

 

* Are you open to refurbs/used options?

Maybe

 

* Screen size

Any

 

* Weight limit

Any

 

* Purpose

Schoolwork/Officework and Gaming

 

* Form factor

Standard preferred

 

* Intended usage
 
Microsoft Office, Adobe Software, Retro Gaming (especially Citra/Azahar), Minecraft Java Edition (preferably able to use Fabric and Iris for light shaders and mods)

 

* Desired battery life

Preferably somewhere around 6+ Hours

* Please list, in order of most important to least important, the priority between Size, Weight, Performance, Battery life

Size, weight and performance, Battery life,

 

* Info/Requirements

Ideally would have an HDMI port, an SD card slot, and at least 1 USB port. Would also prefer at least 512 gb SSD.

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated!

I’m currently in 10th grade and starting IB1 this August, so I’m trying to figure out whether this MacBook would realistically last me through IB for the next 2 years, maybe longer.

I already have an iPad (10th gen), so this MacBook retina would mainly be for:

• essays and assignments
• browsing/research
• multitasking for school
• general productivity

I’m not expecting crazy performance — I just want something reliable enough for IB that won’t become painfully slow too quickly.

Specs:

• MacBook Air Retina 13-inch (2020)
• Intel Core i3 dual-core 1.1GHz
• 8GB RAM (3733MHz)
• Battery condition: “Normal”
• Cycle count: 840
• Gets a bit warm during normal use
• Speakers are surprisingly good
• Everything else seems to work fine

Price:

• ₹15,000 INR
• Around $156 USD

I’m also coming from a gaming laptop, so heat/fan noise honestly doesn’t bother me much.

Main things I wanted to ask:

1. Realistically, how long do you think this would last for student use?
2. Is 840 battery cycles a major concern?
3. Would this still comfortably handle IB-level workload?
4. Is ₹15k actually a good deal for this in 2026?
5. If you were in my position, would you buy it or save for an M1 instead?

Would really appreciate advice from people who’ve actually used these Intel MacBook Airs long term.

Hello everyone,

I just completed my freshman year in Accounting. I have the chance to buy an M4 MacBook Air from my college for $500. I was planning on buying a refurbished windows laptop for about $300 from ebay, but this deal came up, so I was wondering if I should buy a MacBook or not. I see a lot of people saying to buy windows for Accounting.

I have a Windows desktop at home, the laptop will be for in person classes and when I am too lazy and want to work in bed.

Thanks!

Hello! Posting for a friend:

LAPTOP QUESTIONNAIRE

• Country

Philippines

• Budget

Below 50,000 PHP (around 800 USD)

• Are you open to refurbs/used options?

No

• Screen size

No preference

• Weight limit

No preference

• Purpose

Gaming

• Form factor

Standard

• Intended usage

Valorant (any graphic setting) and Minecraft (w/ mid-high end shaders) at a stable 60-120fps, as well as indie games. Not looking to play any AAA/graphic-intensive games.

• Desired battery life

No preference

• Please list, in order of most important to least important, the priority between Size, Weight, Performance, Battery life

Performance, size, weight, battery life

• Info/Requirements

N/A

Country

U.S.A

Budget

Prefer to keep it less than $1,300 but if needed willing to go higher.

Are you open to refurbs/used options?

No, unless suggesting an older year/model

Screen size

13-17

Weight limit

Any

Purpose

General school/work, Microsoft Office, writing and light editing.

Form factor

Standard laptop, I have an apple tablet not a fan of how it works with Microsoft (I am technologically challenged though so may be my issue. I hate that it doesn't have the full design options)

Intended usage

Literally don't know how anything works. I just want a good long lasting laptop with storage for projects and basic editing.

Desired battery life

Idk what a good amount is. So like enough stability that it won't break in 2 years. idk 8 hour day of school work.

Please list, in order of most important to least important, the priority between Size, Weight, Performance, Battery life

Long lasting, Storage, battery life, function/comfortability.

Info/Requirements

Preferably no Mac/apple products unless someone can help me with the word/excel issues. An hour of googling did not help me 🌈

Bonus points if it has USB/SD card slots I hate having to do the dongle extender thing but probably not super important.

Any all help is appreciated. I appreciate any suggestions and the time it takes to respond to these posts. Thank you in advance!

Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen 1 | 14" FHD |
Ryzen 7 PRO 4750U| 16GB RAM |
512GB for school work and multiple monitors and some Minecraft or is there something else I should get instead my Budget is 200 to 300$
I am new into this whole Thinkpad thing so that why I need your guys help

I’ve recently gotten into the market for a new laptop and realized I’m in over my head. I’m about to go to college after another year of high school and I’d rather get a new laptop or pc now that I can be comfortable with in college. I’m not really sure which to lean towards, but we’ll say laptops for this subreddit’s case.

I plan to use it for coding, gaming, and of course schoolwork. I don’t code anything too high-graphics like, and don’t really care about graphics on my games, so long as they work. I mostly just want to play online games with my friends as I’m upgrading from my school’s MacBook.

My budget is about $500 but could stretch a tiny bit, not a lot to work with. Are there any good suggestions for laptops in this price range? Should I look into pcs? Should I save up more money for a better one later down the road?

Here’s my request with the form:

LAPTOP QUESTIONNAIRE
Country
United Stares
Budget
Up to $500 USD, MAX $650ish
Are you open to refurbs/used options?
Yes, so long as it works just as well/close to
Screen size
Any works.
Weight limit
Any works.
Purpose
Schoolwork, gaming, coding
Form factor
Standard
Intended usage
I code with Godot and Github mostly, which are pretty light. The biggest thing would just be steam and games on it. I dont care so much for graphics, just performance.
Desired battery life
Around at least 8 would be nice, not sure what a standard is, so long as it can last through school
Please list, in order of most important to least important, the priority between Size, Weight, Performance, Battery life
Performance, battery life, the other two can be whatever.

I’ve been looking around online for a new laptop, but aren’t totally sure what to get so looking for some input. I need the laptop to balance gaming and engineering software for reference.

Specs:
32gb ram
2Tb memory (1 or 2 SSD is fine just need the full 2Tb)
Processor with preferably 8-9 cores and needs to be able to run at 3 GHz comfortably (doesn’t need a base clock of 3 GHz but just to perform at that level)
Display is mostly irrelevant to me I just want a screen 16” or smaller
Budget is <$3000
Battery life would preferably be above 6 hours but I am not set on needing it